If
by Pythia
Summary: Ken temporarily leaves Weiß because of a 'little' incident, taking refuge in another flower shop nearby. But what will he learn when he returns to them? Mainly Yohji/Ken, with a few other pairings later on
1. Chapter 1

~Standard disclaimers apply~  
  
Chapter 1  
  
  
Omi whistled cheerfully, carrying a load of laundry upstairs. He stopped by Ken's door, and opened it a crack, "Ken-kun! We'll be having Chinese take-out for dinner!!!" Omi blinked; no answer. He put down the basket of clothes, then looked inside. No Ken, no stuff, just an empty room. The Weiß boy's eyes grew wide, and he quickly ran down the stairs forgetting all about the laundry. "Aya-kun! Yohji-kun! Ken-kun's gone! He's not in his room! I think he might have heard you guys talking and left!" Omi shouted, very worried. "What!?" A pang of guilt shot through Yohji's chest.  
  
"Oi, Jyo!" Ken called gaily to his companion, "Can you get the shears for me?" "Sure!" The blonde replied, disappearing into the stock room. He had found another flower shop to work in, a good distance from the Koneko no Sumu Li. He was happy working there, where he didn't really have to give of the impression of a clumsy oaf. CRASH!!! "Watch it, Miya! We don't wanna loose all our money on buying pots!" He shouted to the redhead. She laughed, it sounded so much like Omi's, sweet and cheerful. He sighed, "At least Omi cared. He was nice, and friendly and never really insulted anybody. Except when he got into one of those arguments with Yo-tan." He smiled, remembering the times he had with them. "I wonder if they even miss me…" Ken thought bitterly, afterwards, as he started arranging a few roses.   
  
"Damn! Its all my fault!" Yohji said, guilt-ridden about the incident. Aya was silent as usual, but accusations towards himself raced around his head. "I'll be up in my room", Omi stated, making his way up the stairs. Aya nodded, as he watched a small, almost unnoticeable tear roll from Yohji's eye. The redhead went to his room, and left the playboy to mourn by himself.  
  
Ken sighed; he was lying on his bed, tired from the day's work. There were only three of them now so it was a bit harder. He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, but to no avail. He was wide awake, "Why did they have to say that?" he thought, quietly, "If they only knew…"  
  
***flashback***  
  
Aya was raging, "Of all the people to get, we had to get HIM! All he does is botch up our missions!!" "Yeah!" Yohji agreed, "And everyday all he does in the flower shop is break this, break that, break this, and break that!!!" "Demo, you guys", Omi cut in, "At least Ken TRIES!" "That's all he ever does! He tries, but doesn't succeed!!!" Aya yelled. "He should just get a job at a circus as a clown! That's what he is anyway! But at least clown's are more graceful than he is!" Yohji practically screamed. "You guys! Be nice! He works hard to do his best!" Omi interjected. "His best isn't good enough." Aya stated and walked back to his room. Yohji followed suit. Leaving, they didn't notice Ken peeping from the kitchen, hot tears streaming down his already red eyes. Checking to see if they all had entered their room, the devastated soccer-player ran up to his own room. He packed everything he could, take this and that, pack this, pack that. The tears were uncontrollable and his thought were whirling with bitter hate. "Break this and that, eh? Join a circus, huh? If that's what they think, then FINE! Let them have their way! No more clumsy clown to bother them!" He slammed his suitcase shut and raced down the stairs and out, slamming the door noisily behind him.  
  
***end flashback***  
  
Ken tried to blink back a few tears, then pulled the covers over him. Resting his head on a pillow, he cried himself to sleep.  
  
Omi punched a few buttons on the keyboard. Click. Click. He had been searching for an hour and a half, but couldn't find any trace of Ken.   
"Ken-kun… Where are you?" He asked himself, then pushed another button. Suddenly his computer started to beep loudly, as a red circle on its screen blinked in time to the bleeps. Omi smiled, "Found him!" He took note of the address, a small flower shop seven blocks away from the Koneko no Sumu Li. He made plans to visit the shop the next day, as he scribbled down the location on a piece of paper. Then after shutting down his computer, he went to sleep.  
  
Soft voices echoing from nowhere…  
  
"All he does is botch up our missions!!!"  
  
"Break this and that and this and that…"  
  
"At least clowns are more graceful than he is…"  
  
Sneering faces appeared all around, laughing, insulting, screaming, yelling, hating, damning, cursing, killing... Cold and clammy…  
  
Death…?  
  
Ken screamed. Eyes wide open, he woke up. Drenched with sweat… breathing heavily. He wiped the perspiration off his forehead, "What the hell what that!?"  
  
What the hell was that…?  
  
Footsteps. Coming closer, closer, closer, sounding louder, louder, louder. A pair of feet stopped in front of him. Yohji raised his head slightly, his aching body preventing him from doing anything else. His eyes scanned, yet… there was nothing. And then he saw Ken, pale white with a dejected look on his face. Almost invisible ashen tears were rolling down his pallid features. Fingers reached out to touch the ghostly figure, but they only went through it. The white silhouette wavered. It mouthed one word, then started to vanish in the surrounding abyss.  
  
"Why…?"  
  
Yohji jerked awake, and sat up quickly, taking in air with short, quick gasps. Cupping his face in his hands, he felt his sweat roll down his body as he started to cry out Ken's name.   
  
"We didn't mean it… Ken… Come back… Damn it!"  
  
Yohji called out to no one, sadness pouring out from his voice.   
  
"Please… where are you? Where are you…? WHERE ARE YOU????"  
  
He choked, voice breaking down into loud sobs, "Please… Ken-kun…"  
  
Ken fixed all the things in the flower shop to get ready for opening time. He placed a few things on the shelves, and rearranged some pots. He heard a click from the back door, and heard Jyo's cheery greeting of "Ohayo!" Ken smiled at the other boy, as the blonde started to help him prepare.   
  
Five minutes after the shop had opened, the door clicked again, and Miya ran through apologizing furiously for being late. Ken grinned at her, "S'okay". The got busy doing their own stuff, fixing this, moving that, displaying this, and removing that.  
  
~**I have a liking to "this, that, this, that", OK!? Geez…**~  
  
Omi woke up early and had already eaten and brushed his teeth before anyone else had. He was about to go visit Ken, when suddenly Yohji called his name. "Where ya going?" He asked, rubbing his eyes drearily. "Gonna visit someone", Omi said, careful not to mention Ken's name. "Who?" Yohji questioned. "A classmate." Omi replied, inching towards the door. The other boy looked at him suspiciously, but let him go without prying.  
  
"1775… 1775…" Omi hurried along the sidewalk, keeping an eye out for 'Designer Blooms', the place where Ken now worked. It took a few moments for him to find it; it was very crowded, the day being a Saturday morning. Many people were already roaming the streets, ready to scare their wallets and kill their credit cards.  
  
Omi came to a halt before a stall, which was painted an eye-catching (or straining) shade of yellow. Through the lightly fogged window (for it was a chilly day), he could see somebody who appeared to be Ken. Taking a deep breath, he grasped the door handle, and pushed. Tinkle, tinkle. The soft jingle of the bells hanging from the 'OPEN' sign on the glass echoed in the almost empty shop. Looks like it was too early for most people to buy flowers— or at least nobody wanted to.  
  
  
"Ken-kun…?"  
  
The brunette whirled around to face whoever had addressed him. The voice was very familiar.  
  
"Omi!?"  
  
"Ohayo, Ken-kun! I'm glad I was able to find you!" the blonde exclaimed, blue eyes shining brightly. "What are you doing here!?" was the bewildered reply. "I came to get you. Yohji's suffering from a severe guilt trip," he giggled, very much like one of those schoolgirls that hung around the Koneko. "Serves him right…" the older man muttered, scornfully; his friends' (or so he used to think they were) words were still stinging. "Awww… You *know* you don't mean that! Ne, Ken-kun???" the other boy said, a grin plastered on his baby-cute face.  
  
The 19-year-old sighed, then turned around to continue his work.  
  
There was an indignant 'hmph' followed by a complaint.  
  
"You're so rude."  
  
Ken grinned, unnoticed; same old Omi…  
  
Then there was a whine, "KEN-KUN!" "I can't!" the brown-haired boy answered. "Why not!?" Omi protested. "Because." He retorted, almost fiercely.  
  
"Fine." L  
  
The dark-haired boy chuckled, and then gave his comrade a smile. The sandy-haired blonde heaved a sigh, then took a glance at his watch then looked up, "Look, I gotta go now. Shop's gonna open in a few minutes, and this place is so far that I don't think I'll get back on time! I only got to spend a few minutes with you, but I don't want Aya-kun to kill me! See ya!"  
  
And with that (and a final wave of his hand), he raced out the door.  



	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
  
Ken awoke, head reeling from the heavy dose of work he had received the day before. It has been 120 hours (5 days) since Omi had first visited him. After that, the youngest Weiß member had always come on a regular basis— anytime before 10:00 AM. Today was probably no exception. Yawning sleepily, the brown-haired boy forced himself (with much difficulty) to get up from the comfortable paradise of his cushioned bed. He reluctantly dragged himself over to the bathroom, locking the door behind him.  
  
Sounds of the shower running.  
  
Ken lugged his still-exhausted body (clad in Dragonball Z boxer shorts), picking up some miscellaneous articles of laundry from the floor as he made his way towards the bed. He threw on the random clothes he had plucked, and then proceeded to methodically tidy up his sheets.  
  
Soon he was away from home (if you could call it that) and present at the flower shop.  
  
He entered, and then advanced to cleaning and preparing, just as Miya entered the room with a merry yell. He acknowledged her with a nod, flashing a toothy smile as he did so.  
  
All of a sudden the chimes rang, and Ken automatically knew that it couldn't be Jyo because the other boy was always… well… late. And he also speculated that it couldn't have been a customer, because it was too early for anyone to be coming. The only possible person it could be was…  
  
"Ohayo, Omi—"  
  
Ken abruptly stopped his greeting, for something unexpected had happened. It wasn't Omi standing there with a lit cigarette between slender fingers. Instead, it was a very furious playboy. Light-footed and lanky, he sauntered in, a look of extreme annoyance printed on his features.  
  
An angry yell broke the silence. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU GO RUNNING OFF ON US!?" The other boy didn't mind the question instead retaliating with his own, "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" "I ASKED YOU A DAMN QUESTION FIRST!" the older man shrieked. "THE FUCK DO I CARE!?" The 19-year-old snapped. "ANSWER THE FRICKIN' QUESTION!" the long-limbed assassin shouted, eyes blazing red.  
  
"FINE! IT WAS 'CUZ I THOUGHT THAT MAYBE SOME FUCKING ASSHOLES SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S FUCKING FEELINGS BEFORE THEY DID ANY OF THEIR DAMN FUCKING SHIT!"  
  
~**fuck— and lots of it ^_^ Seven, to be exact…**~  
  
That got Yohji; the Casanova had never heard Ken curse more than once in a single sentence. He gazed downwards, inhaling… exhaling. He let out a soft whisper.  
  
"We're— no— I'm sorry…" he breathed. "You don't sound like it," the younger boy said, voice trembling. "But I am!" he objected; his tone was desperate.  
  
"NO YOU'RE NOT, DAMMIT! I CAN FEEL IT!"  
  
"YES I AM!"  
  
"YOU'RE SHOUTING AT ME! HOW CAN YOU BE SORRY WHEN YOU'RE SHOUTING AT ME!?"  
  
"I'M SHOUTING AT YOU BECAUSE YOU WON'T FUCKING BELIEVE THAT I'M SORRY!"  
  
"NOW YOU'RE CURSING!"  
  
"BUT—"  
  
"YOHJI! GET *OUT*"  
  
"FINE!"  
  
He stormed out the door, just in time for Jyo to haphazardly open it. Yohji strode right past him, tremendously pissed. Miya had been staring at him with horror-filled eyes during the whole exchange.  
  
"What happened?" the newcomer asked. Ken didn't reply; his eyes were fixed intently on the door. Miya blinked, "They had a fight!" she supplied helpfully.   
  
"Ah."  
  
  
Yohji glared icily at the tiled kitchen wall. It was one of those days when his attitude could exceed the stone-cold demeanor of Aya. Omi released a deep lungful of air, ambling towards the troubled assassin.  
  
"I trust it didn't go very well?" the computer whiz questioned. The other glowered with blazing eyes, but he maintained his stillness. "Yup. Not well at all… So, what happened?" he said, laughing quietly. "……" was the response, if it could be considered that. "That bad?" the 17-year-old prodded. "……" still no answer. "A fight?" the other interrogated, getting frustrated. "……" silence. "I can tell by the look on your face…" he stated knowingly, studying the blonde's features. "……" zilch. "You should make up with him," he said, sighing. The Casanova's expression softened, "…Why…?" "Well… the day after tomorrow is Valentine's Day," Omi offered, smiling. "Oh. How?" Yohji asked, gazing up at his companion. "Hmmm… I dunno… a card? A cake? Flowers? Ummm… chocolates?" The sandy-haired boy proposed.  
  
Yohji's facial appearance changed rapidly; from dejected to absolutely energized, "CHOCOLATES! THAT'S IT!!! I'LL GET HIM CHOCOLATES!" "There's a great store down the street. They sell gourmet chocolates especially for that occasion…" the youngest Weiß member told him.  
  
"Thanks, Omi! Gotta run!"  
  
"Jya, Yo-tan!"  
  
"Jya!"  
  
  
Ken swept the floor, dancing stupidly with the broom as 'It's Raining Men' played. He didn't really like the song, but it was the only one that sounded decent compared to the sound of nails screeching on the blackboard (which seemed to be playing on every other station). Miya was taking a little break, sitting (and giggling) as she sipped some cola while munching on what appeared to be INCREDIBLY soggy french fries. And Jyo? Lounging. He was lazy, almost like Yohji. 'All work and no play, makes cute little me a dull boy' he would say a matter-of-factly. The soccer player never ceased to laugh at that. The 20-year-old had some uniquely interesting antics.  
  
Then something caught his eye. Someone, actually. Schuldich was passing by the shop window. It was strange since he was intentionally walking quite slowly. There was a lopsided grin plastered to his finely chiseled face. He winked at the brunette, before casually waving a hand and quickening his pace. Was it his imagination, or did the German spare a fleeting, yet malicious, glance at Miya? Hallucination, I'm sure.  
  
Or was it? I mean, it was peculiar that a member of Schwarz would be strolling around this time, or this day. But then again, villains also need their leisure time, right? RIGHT? Right. That was all there was to it. All there was to it…  
  
~**~  
  
=Eriol comes in, hand in hand with Syaoran=  
Syaoran: And now for a brief commercial. Eriol?  
Eriol: Support Chibi Shin-chan, who is the empress of another planet! Join her leagues, and you shall be spared when her superior realm takes over this puny earth!  
Syaoran: See posters and print-ads for details.  
=They bow, then exit=  
  
~**~  
  
Aya stared; something was going on with Yohji. The older boy had been sitting in a corner, being mesmerized by a red object. His eyes were glazed, and it was a miracle that he was able to write. At least, that's what the lavender-eyed man thought. He might have been doing something else. Like… wasting ink, for example… ^^;;;  
  
  
Ken stretched his weary limbs; they ached, but he didn't know why. Maybe it was because he carried a few seven boxes up a few three flights of steps. And knowing that it was another day of work was hardly comforting. He wished he could stay at least 30 more minutes in bed. But alas, he couldn't. Oh, well.  
Grumbling, he tried to get out of bed, managing to fall of the soft mattress. He landed on the floor with a loud thud. He definitely did not like waking up he stated to himself as he sprawled there, motionless. You would mistake him for a corpse if he hadn't been breathing.   
  
Then with an aggravated growl, he sprung up from his position and… slammed into his closet door.  
  
"Damn fucking shit of a door…"  
  
Picking himself up angrily, he lunged at the entrance to his bathroom, running straight to the shower. He collapsed inside, right after turning the water on full blast.  
  
"Sabishiku natta hana no yoni…" Ken hummed the lyrics to Yuugao, having survived the horrible morning. He twirled around the store, careful not to knowck anything over. It was pure bliss to be alone at this time of morning. Sure, he liked the company of his new friends, but it was also fun to have the place all to himself. He laughed gaily, when suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see a delivery boy. The brunette blinked, "Hai?" "There's a delivery for you from a Mr. Yohji Kudou", the boy replied, holding out a red, heart-shaped package. There was a rose attatched to it, along with a card. Ken nodded, then signed for the parcel. Then with gentle fingers, he opened the tag, not noticing that Jyo had come in. The other boy was now reading over his shoulder.  
  
Ken-kun, I'm very sorry for what happened.  
Its just that I was upset because I was worried about you.  
If you can find it in your heart to forgive me,   
Please come back…  
  
With love, Yohji~ Happy Valentine's Day  



End file.
